Qatar to withdraw from OPEC and focus on gas exports from January

DOHA - Qatar said on Monday that it was quitting OPEC from January next year, but would attend the oil exporter group's meeting this week, saying the decision meant Doha could focus on cementing its position as the world's top liquefied natural gas exporter.

Doha, one of the smallest oil producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is locked in a diplomatic dispute with the group's de facto leader Saudi Arabia but said the move to leave OPEC was not driven by politics.

Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad al-Kaabi told a news conference that Qatar, which he said been a member of OPEC for 57 years, would still attend the group's meeting on Thursday and Friday, and would abide by its commitments.